LEGAZPI CITY – The Department of Education (DepEd) supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the implementation of the Education Sector Mechanism (ESM) program in Albay at the Pepperland Hotel, Tuesday, March 7.
Present in the event were Dr. Thomas LeBlanc, Director of Education Office USAID Philippines; Ina Aquino, ABC+ Chief of Party; Jeany Abayon, Albay Schools Division Assistant Superintendent; Myn Garcia, The Asia Foundation (TAF) Deputy Country Representative; Tabaco City Mayor Cielo Krisel Lagman-Luistro; and Edcel Greco Alexander “Grex” Lagman, governor of Albay.
“The project (ESM) aims to help improve basic education outcomes [in the Philippines] in literacy, numeracy, and social and emotional learning for children from early childhood education, kindergarten to grade three learners,” LeBlanc explained.
LeBlanc also highlighted in his message the importance of helping each other in advocating for education.
“Education continues when everyone contributes. Tuloy-tuloy ang edukasyon. Tulong-tulong ang lahat,” he added.
Similarly, Jeany Abayon, Albay Schools Division Assistant Superintendent pledged for the support and commitment of her office and stressed the shared responsibility of every organization and institution in the said program.
“And as to who will identify, how can it be identified, why can it be identified, and we should work together, and for whom this will be – all these are imposed that the strength of each team is its individual members, and that the strength of every member is the team,” she said.
In his words of support, Lagman stated that it is his personal dream to provide quality education for everyone.
With regard to his first actions, Lagman said that at the next provincial school board meeting, he will bring the topic about the investment in this kind of partnership.
Possibly, Lagman will start finding one of the most vulnerable schools to be piloted first in Albay.
“Edukasyon – importantehon ini [importante ito] for the sustained development of our youth. Kung dae tabi ini tawan ki mga arog kaining [kung hindi po ito bigyan ng ganitong] interventions, pirme na sana kitang igwang mga aki [palagi na lang tayong merong bata] na will be trying to catch up,” Lagman said.
“Ta halangkaw po ang inaapod [kasi mataas po ang tinatawag] na literacy and numeracy issues all over the province so kaipuhan talaga ang mga arog kaining [kailangan talaga ang mga ganitong] partnerships.”
In Bicol, Tabaco City is the first and one of the pilot cities to implement the multi-stakeholder approach in improving education to early grade learners as part of DepEd and USAID’s ABC+:Advancing Basic Education in the Philippines project.
ESM is part of DepEd ABC+: Advancing Basic Education in the Philippines project that has localized multi-stakeholder approach to plan, invest, and implement interventions to improve the education readiness of the early grade learners, specifically those from kindergartens to Grade 3 learners in terms of their literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills. | via Arvie Bediones and God Frey Las Piñas
